The Change Within

Change and everything that goes with it

I have always been a little averse to change. It’s fear of the unknown, being outside your comfort zone, going against the flow or the rhythm of everyday life. Thankfully I’m much better now at 29 years old than when I was younger, I’ve learnt that change is good and that it’s part and parcel of life. Look at the seasons! Trees handle change well - they realised long ago that saying goodbye to their leaves in the autumn is not the end, just à bientôt. In spring beautiful green shoots will return and it’ll be better than ever before. I try now to act more like a tree, welcoming change; seeing it as a new lease of life, for new opportunities to arise, new experiences to experience, and not feeling too distraught if things go awry - the latter is still a work in progress.

On the topic of seasonal change, I’m very excited to be showing a new collection of paintings in a group show opening this week! The Change Within curated by Amelia Maxwell , opens from 9th - 13th May, at 230 Portobello Rd, London W11 1LJ.

Here’s a brief summary of the exhibition and the inspiration behind my collection:

“Between the year-round presence of produce and our ever-full work calendars, a blindness to the seasons, cycles, and rhythms of nature persists, and we – as part of nature – are in turn blind to ourselves. In THE CHANGE WITHIN, Amelia Maxwell collects and curates the work of women in the arts to exhibit their work to bring forward the details, patterns, colours, and movement of nature.”

Living in a city it’s harder to pick out the subtle changes that occur with the change of season, but I try my hardest to really notice. It sneaks up on you slowly then suddenly all at once bursts new life; buds on branches, bulbs bloom, leaves unfurl and birds chorus. A veil of colour spreads across the monotonous grey of the landscape. It’s always a surprise when nature awakes again after a long winter, I forget each year how magical it is. These works are a celebration of those changes; a cacophony of colour, light, movement and energy. Here’s a sneak peek…

I feel lucky to have grown up with a mother who’s own love for the natural world, made me stop and notice everything around me; the change in seasons, the birds in the garden, the flowers blooming in May, the blackberries in the hedgerows. Her influence sparked my own love for it, her knowledge and interest is a passion passed down from her own mother. Now we both relish in the joy of spotting the first swallow to arrive from Africa, the first shoot of a tulip bulb, the smell of a tomato leaf, the taste of a fig grown from the garden, and lots more wonderful, small but incredibly important things. This shared love of nature is a connection through generations and the reason I always come back to it, the greatest source of inspiration, and my link to the past.

SEE

I haven’t been yet but urge everyone to visit the recently opened Expressionists show at Tate Modern, unfortunately my Tate membership has expired so I’m waiting until a kind friend offers to take me as their plus one - any takers?

COOK

It’s asparagus season!! My fave season of the year as it’s also bluebell season at the same time - isn’t May just wonderful? I bought a bunch from the Sunday market I’m a regular at (thanks Teds Veg) and to celebrate made a spring risotto with those delish chubby spears. Also you can’t not steam a few and have with seriously salted butter on its own. Do it and thank me later. I tend to eyeball quantities when I cook, surprisingly this works out most of the time, but occasionally I’ve had to eat lentil dhals for lunch and dinner a week after making an accidentally huge batch. Which funnily enough happened last night.

For the risotto, heat some olive oil and a smidge of butter in a heavy based pan, add a large crushed garlic clove, half a chopped leek, cook. Next add the risotto rice (about 70g per person), toast until the grains are translucent and the oil soaked up, then it’s time for the veggie stock, slowly stirring and adding until the rice is almost cooked but with a little bite (will take a good 20 - 30mins) Add the chopped asparagus spears, a sprinkling of frozen peas and the last of the stock, cook for 5 mins, stirring regularly. Season with lots of salt and pepper, add a knob of butter, a squeeze and grating of lemon zest. Leave off the heat to rest for another 5 mins. Serve and enjoy the taste of spring!

READ

Just finished reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. It was a light, laugh-out-loud novel, a perfect book to read in the evenings for escapism after a long day.

LISTEN

I’ve been a fan of Dr Mindy Pelz for a long time, and have only recently found her podcast series, The Resetter Podcast. This particular episode with Jessie Inchauspé (the Glucose Goddess) was incredibly informative and interesting. Diving into how glucose spikes affect our health and tips on how to keep it balanced. A few fun facts: put ‘clothes on your carbs’ for example, have a handful of almonds or a dollop of greek yogurt with a slice of cake, the good fats help your body stabilise quicker after the sugar rush. Also if you’re going to have a sugary treat have it after your meal not as a snack, sugar on an empty stomach equals chaos. Full stop.

WATCH

Last night I watched Where the Crawdads Sing on Netflix, based on the novel of the same name. It really struck a chord with my sister and I, we ended up shedding a few tears at the end. The main character, Kya, has lived all her life in the swamps of North Carolina, a shy girl shunned by society who finds comfort in the natural world and the marshland around her. A romantic drama with a chilling murder mystery narrative running through it. Absolutely would recommend.

STUDIO

In other non cheesy romantic mushy book/film news I recently launched a spring mini painting sale. They are all 35 x 45cm and £150. If you’d like a pop of colour on your walls, there are still a few available!

A few weeks ago the lovely people at Pink City Prints visited my studio, you can read the interview here on their journal. I was lucky enough to be photographed in a selection of their beautiful dresses and felt a bit like Snow White crossed with a milk maid - in a good way! I talked about my journey into natural dyeing and the advice I’d give to others wanting to become an artist. This particular question was a funny one to answer because I still don’t think I’ve figured it out - I was grappling with a slight imposter syndrome feeling. Hopefully it’s somewhat useful, or just a general good read for a bank holiday Monday.

Later in May I’ll be heading to Montmorillon in France for a residency, while there I’ll be experimenting with natural pigments foraged from the surrounding landscape and earth. The town has a rich history with natural dyes/colour so I’m extremely excited to jump on the Eurostar and head off. Keep up to date with my journey on instagram - as a warning I plan on eating a lot of croissants, drinking a lot of wine, going to markets, brocantes, and wondering streets carrying a basket, so please don’t hate me for it.

à bientôt!